Speed-regulator for explosive-engines.



, Patented Nov.vl2, I90l. F. B. STEARNS. 4 SPEED REGULATOR FDR EXPLOSIVEENGINES.

(Application filed Oct. 9, 1899.)

2 Sheet's$heet L (No Model.)

VVizlnesses,

Paten ced Nov. :2, mm.

1 F. B. STEARNS.

' SPEED REGULATOR FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

(Application filed Oct. 9. 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

. In venio r,

Frank .B. Szearns, .9

.AZtta rrz e3.

FRANKB. STEARNS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO;

SPEED -REGULATOR FOR EXPLOSQt E- ENGINES.

$PECIFIGATION forining part of Letters Patent No. 686,5 54, datedNovember 12, 1901.

Application tiled October 9, 1899.

T at 1071 0711, it may concern- Be it known that I, FRANK l3. Srnnnns, acitizen of the United States, residingat Cleveland, in the countyofCuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in-Automatic Feeds for Explosive-Engines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to explosive-engines which use liquid fuel, suchas gasolcne, and is especially adapted to gasolene-engines of theautomobile type. 4

The object of my invention. is to provide means for regulating thesupply of fuel in proportion to the speed required of the engine withoutchanging to any undesirable extent the relative proportions of air andvapor in the mixture which is drawn into the cylinder and ignited. ,Theamount of work performed by an explosive-engine is in direct proportionto the number of explosions. lhe amount of fuel required is also indirect proportion to the number of explosions. Therefore a feedingdevice that will supply fuel in proportion to the number of explosionswill tend to keep the engine running at its greatest efficiency at anyspeed within reasonable limits. The invention being an automaticfuel-feeding device is not concerned with speed-governing save only tothe er:- tent of supplying sufficient fuel to produce full andeffective'explosions in the engine at whatever speed it may be running,and it is .obvious that any suitable speed-governor may be employed inconnection therewith if the class of work performed by the enginerequires it.

To these ends the invention consists of the features, arrangements, andcombinations hereinafter described and claimed, an embodiment thereofbeing illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aplan View of an explosiveengine equipped with the automatic feed. Fig. 2is a side elevation, and Fig.3 is a partialend View of the same. Fig. 4is an elevation, partly in section, of the feed-valve, mixer,andjvaporizing-chamber.

The reference letter a indicates the cylinder of an explosive engine,and b is the crankshaft. A centrifugal regulator is provided, which maybe placed on the end of the crank- Serial No. 733,018. (No model.)

The regulator is similar to the shaft, and centrifugal weights hh,'jointed together and hinged atone end to the collar gand at the otherend to a loose collar 2'. It

will readily be understood that. as the speed of the engine increasestheweights h h are thrown outward, thereby sliding the loose collar 1'toward the fastened collar 9, and as the speed diminishes thecentrifugal force acting upon the weights decreases and permits theloose collar to recede from the fast collar. Upon the loose collar andprovided with suitable thrust-bearings is mounted a collar 76, havingapertures to receive pins in the forked end of the lever j. The lever jis pivoted to a short arm I, which arm is pivoted at its other end to abracket m, attached to the engine-frame, so that the forked end of thelever is free to move in a direction parallel to the regulator-shaft.

To the inlet-port n of the engine is attached a pipe communicating withthe bottom of a vaporizing-chamber 0, which may be' provided with wirescreens, as at 10, or otherzsuitable devices to assistin breaking up andevaporating the liquid fuel and thoroughly mixing it with air.Communicating with and projecting above the vaporizing-chamber is amixing-tube g, which is open at the top for the admission of air and mayalso be supplied with openings near the top for the same purpose. Theliquid-fuel-supply pipe, having a shut-0d valve 1', is fastened acrossthe top of the tube q and is provided with an outlet 5, extending downinto said tube and having a valve 25, preferably of the style known as aneedle-valve, the stem of which is screwthreaded in the pipe and hassecured to its outer end the slotted lever-arm 21., as plainly shown inFig. at.

A rod o,providedat each end with ball or other suitable joints,connectsthe leverjwith an adjustable block to, fitted in the slot of the arm aand adapted to be firmly clamped in any position of the length thereofto suit the con- Y vditions of service.

force set up in the regulator and serves to return the lever to theposition shown in the drawings, thereby closing the fuel-valve i whenthe engine is stopped.

The inlet-valve y and exhaust valve .2 may be operated in anysuitablemanner, but said inlet-valve is herein shown designed to Workautomatically against a spring, which is perhaps the most common method.

The engine having been started it is evident that the fuel-valve will bemaintained at the proper opening to supply a sufficient quantity of fuelfor any rate of speed within reasonable limits. When the speed isaltered by the application of a load or by other means, the valve willimmediately adjust itself so as to supply more or less fuel, accordingas the,

speed of the engine is increased ordiminished, thus keeping the relativeproportions of air and gas in the mixturesufficiently constant. Variousmodifications can be made in the details of my invention withoutdeparting from the principles thereof and other modes of applying it maybe employed, since,

Having described its application as above, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a shaft driven by an explosive-engine havingweights attached to it adapted to be thrown outward by the centrifugalforce due to the revolution of the shaft, a lever pivoted to the enginethe front end of which is arranged to be moved along the axis of thesaid shaft by the outward movement of the weights, a fuel-supply valveprovided with a stem carrying an arm to which is attached an adjustableblock, a spring for closing said valve, a suitable connection betweensaid block and the rear end of saidlever, and suitable means forvaporizmoved along the axis of said shaft by the outward movement of theweights, connecting mechanism capable of adjustment for difierentconditions of service between the rearlend of said lever and the arm onsaid valve-stem, and a spring arranged to work against the saidcentrifugal force and gradually close said valve as the speed of theen'- gine diminishes, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses, at Cleveland, Ohio, October 5, 1899.

R. M. OWEN, S. RAY FRALICK.

